Refreshing People

A new episode of the "From the Fabricator" podcast is now available for your holiday listening/watching pleasure. I opened with Mark Seeton of Vitro. It was a great time for me; he answered a few glass geek questions for me, including what the game-changing product in our space from his organization was and the most significant industry change over the span of his career. Plus, he legit stunned me on the “fun” question, too. And his input on the forecast was very insightful/helpful. Then I caught up with Danielle Whatley of Texstar Glazing. Danielle is a growing force in our space, and getting her take on “being on the other side,” as in working at a fabricator, along with what drives her and her company, was super energizing. Great stuff and overall, yet another fun podcast! These are really rolling now, and I still have 10 more guests to go this year, and the support just blows me away. Thanks again for watching & listening!

Watch on Youtube here or listen here, as well as by searching “From the Fabricator” wherever you get your podcasts; Apple, Spotify etc.

Elsewhere…

Personnel news

Troy Johnson is an all-time favorite of mine, and he hit the news recently, taking on a new role inside Apogee. Troy is now the president of Apogee Architectural Metals, responsible for the Alumicor, EFCO, Linetec, Tubelite, and Wausau Window brands. There is no doubt in my mind that Troy will be fabulous in this role. I am also excited to see what he does on the supply side of things vs. install. Troy has always been innovative, and I am sure he will positively disrupt those organizations. Congrats Troy!

Viracon collab

Staying in that APOG family… Nice to see Viracon throwing its weight behind VIG with a new collaboration. That news popped late in the week, and I think this will help propel that incredibly important space further. As an industry, we need advanced products to grow and evolve, and so I love it when I see things like this.

Industry retirement

Our latest industry retirement comes from north of the border. At the end of September, Lee Harrison, President of Walker Glass, will hang ‘em up. Lee was at Walker for fifty years. That’s 50. 5-0. Impressive. Even more so when Lee (along with Ross Christie, in a story told to me when I had those guys on my podcast in September of 2022) determined that Walker must pivot from the mirror business to something else. That brilliant call to get into etch was a massive move and one for the history books. I’ll always appreciate Lee as well for his support of the industry and for being friendly to me every time our paths crossed. A good man and another loss for our space. Congrats Lee, enjoy that next phase of life!

Top 10 cities where retired wealth is at

Last this week… My pal Jeff Ziesche knows me well, as he thought of me when he ran into an article about what areas have the most wealth with their retirees. It was a fascinating read, and of course, there’s a list, and I love lists… so here goes...the Top 10 cities where all the retired wealth (and there’s a lot of it) is at.

10. San Luis Obispo, California- I did not think we’d see California on the list.

9. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii- Another surprise because, despite it being paradise, the cost of living seems too high for retirees.

8. Prescott Valley, Arizona- The only Arizona entry.

7. Port St. Lucie, Florida- The first of 5 Florida locations on the list

6. Deltona, Florida- Had a neighbor move there and seriously thought at the time they were going to Daytona, never knew there was a Deltona.

5. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts- I’d just love to hear the retirees say Barnstable in that Mass accent.

4. Santa Rosa, California- Who knew? California is a place to hang 'em up.

3. Cape Coral, Florida- Nice place. I think there’s a certain popular industry company nearby.

2. Naples, Florida- Great area, nice pace.

And #1 North Port, Florida, and folks, I had to look it up. I had never heard of that city. Heard of towns around it, though. So, I am a bit surprised.

I am also surprised that nothing in South Carolina or Georgia made the list. As well as Texas and Utah. Check it all out here.